And george



(No Model.)

B. SHERWOOD & G. B. PARSONS.

5 v GAR FENDER. No. 547,566.

Patented 0011.8, 1895.

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EARL SHERWOOD, OF HONESDALE, PENNSYLVANIA, AND GEORGEB.

PARSONS, OF SHAWNEETOWN, ILLINOIS.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 547,566, dated October8, 1895.

Application filed July 13, 1895. Serial No. 555,906. (No model.)

To alZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EARL SHERWOOD, residing at Honesdale, in the countyof Wayne and State of Pennsylvania, and GEORGE B. PARSONS, residing atShawneetown, in the county of Gallatin and State of Illinois, citizensof the United States, have invented a new and useful Oar-Fender, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in car-fenders; and the objectthereof is to provide a simple, cheap, and efficient guard or fenderwhich may be readily attached to and detached from any ordinarystreet-car, said guard or fender consisting of a pivoted scoop having ahinged connection with the front of the car and a longitudinally-slidingtrip-frame surrounding said scoop and engag ing the latter in suchmanner as to support it in a raised position entirely clear of theground, said trip-frame being projected in advance of the pivoted guardor fender and being capable of releasing the latter and allowing theadvance end thereof to descend to the plane of the track or intoposition to receive and pick up a person caught between the trackswithout injury tosuch person.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the courseof the ensuing description.

To the above end the invention consists in an improved car-fenderembodying certain novel features and details of construction andarrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully set forth, illustrated in thedrawing, and finally pointed out in the claims.

The accompanying drawing represents a perspective view of an improvedcar-fender constructed in accordance with this invention andillustrating the application of the fender to a street-car.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in thefigure in the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the pivoted scoop or guard of theimproved carfender,the same comprisinginits'construction arectangular orloop frame 2, which is preferably made of tubing for affording thenecessary strength and lightness, although it will be apparent that suchframe may be made of wood or any other desired material. This frame whencompleted is continuous or in effect a one-piece frame, and the sideportions or bars thereof are given corresponding bends, as indicated at3, in such manner as to impart to the rear portion of said frame anupward inclination, so that the rear cross-bar 4: of the scoop-framewill lie just in front of the dashboard or fender of the car. Over theframe just described is stretched wire or rope netting or fabric of anysuitable mesh and strength, and the length of said netting or fabric ismade slightly less than the length of the side bars of the. frame towhich it is secured, so that it will sag and take a gradual curve fromthe rear cross-bar 4 to the forward cross-bar 5 of the pivoted scoop orguard frame, as shown in the drawing. The scoop or guard frame ispivoted to the platform of the car by means of a brace-frame 6, which inshape resembles the letter W, comprising the central oblique portions,to which the reference-numeral 6 is applied, and the terminal portions7, preferably formed integrally with said oblique portions, said framebeing rigidly connected to the pivoted scoop or guard frame at the bends3 in the side arms of the latter by brazing or in any suitable manner.The extremities of the terminal portions 7 of this brace-frame areprovided with hooks 8, which engage with eyes attached to the car, thusproviding for the ready attachment and detachment of the scoop or guardframe.

9 indicates a centrally-disposed and rearwardly extending arm or catch,which is brazed or otherwise secured to the central portion of theW-shaped frame referred to and extends beneath the platform of the carfor a purpose that will appear.

10 designates a rectangular trip frame, which is preferably made of verylight tubing, which composes three sides of said frame and a section ofrope 11, which constitutes the front bar of said frame. This trip-frameis supported about a foot above the ground by means of brackets 12,secured beneath the car-bottom upon opposite sides thereof and adjacentto the front end of the car, said brackets comprising each a pair ofdepending arms having at their lower ends guiding-eyes 13, in which theside arms or portions'of, the trip-frame slide longitudinally. Thetripframe is thus held in substantially-horizontal relation and the rearcross-bar 14 thereof is adapted to pass over the rear end of the arm orcatch 9 on the scoop or guard frame.

By means of this construction the scoop or guard frame is upheld at itsfront end and caused to assume a substantially horizontal position. Theforward ends of the side arms or portions of the trip-frame aredeflected inwardly toward each other, as indicated at 15, and perforatedto receive the opposite ends of the connecting-rope 11, forming thefront bar of said frame. This construction obviates the liability of theforward ends of said arms injurying a person, which would surely occurwere they left straight.

16 indicates an oppositely-disposed pair of shoes, which are secured tothe forward corners of the scoop or guard frame and adapted to rest uponthe track or ground upon the descent of the scoop or guard for holdingthe front edge thereof clear of and above the ground.

In operation the scoop or guard 1 is lifted at its front end and thetrip-frarne drawn forward until the rear bar thereof passes over therear end of the arm or catch on the guardframe. This arm or catch willnow rest be neath the rear arm of the trip-frame and serve to supportthe forward end of the guard-frame at any predetermined distance abovethe ground. The cross-rope 11 forming the front bar of the trip-framewill first come in contact with a person standing upon the track, andsaid trip-frame will thereby be thrust rearwardly in such manner as toslide the rear bar of the trip-frame off the arm or catch 9 referred to.The guard-frame will thus immediately drop at its front end in positionto pick up the person standing in the way, and this will be accomplishedwith safety and without injury to such person by reason of theparticular construction of the open rectangular guardframe, the mannerin which the rope or wire nettingis suspended thereon, and thedisposition of the oblique braces 6 referred to, there being nothing forthe body of such person to come in contact with except the wire or ropenetting.

Upon reaching the end of the route should it be desired to remove thefender or change the same from one end of the car to the other this maybe accomplished by simply unhooking the scoop or guard frame and pushingthe trip-frame entirely beneath the car. Upon reaching the other end ofthe car the tripframe at that end is drawn out and the guardframe hookedto such end of the car, as above explained, and engaged with thetrip-frame for upholding the same in a manner that will be readilyunderstood from the foregoing descrlption.

The car-fender above described is very simple in construction, notliable to get out.of order, may be manufactured at slight cost, may beapplied to any ordinary car, may be readily removed and applied orchanged from one end of the car to the other, and will be foundgenerally efficient in practice.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a safety guard or fender for cars, an open and substantiallyrectangular trip frame mounted to slide beneath the car platform, incombination with an open and substantially rectangular guard framehaving netting stretched across the same and being pivotally connectedwith the car and also capable of swinging independently of said tripframe, said guard frame being extended in rear of its fulcrum andengaged by the trip frame,

substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

2. In a safety carfender, the combination of a pivoted guard frame madein open rectangular form and having its rear portion defiected upwardly,a net stretched across and secured to said guard frame, the rearwardlyconverging obliquely disposed braces connecting the side arms orportions of said guard frame, a rearwardly extending arm or catch onsaid guard frame, and a trip frame surrounding said guard frame andengaging said rearwardly projecting arm or catch, substantially as andfor the purpose specified.

3. In a safety car-fender, the combination of an open rectangular guardframe having a hinged connection with the car and provided with a netstretched across and secured thereto, a rearwardly extending arm orcatch affixed to said guard frame andprojecting beneath the earplatform, add a rectangular trip frame surrounding said guard frame andmounted to slide longitudinally in guiding eyes beneath the carplatform, the rear bar of said frame being adapted to engage with thearm or catch on the guard frame and the forward extremities of the sidearms of said.

trip frame being deflected inwardly and connected by a flexible strap,all arranged for joint operation, substantially as set forth.

4. In a safety car-fender, the combination of an open rectangular framehaving its rear portion deflected upwardly, a net stretched between thefront and rear bars of said frame, a W-shaped brace frame rigidlyconnected with said guard frame and having its terminals hooked toengage eyes on the car, a centrally disposed rearwardly extending arm orcatch upon said frame, and a longitudinally movable rectangular tripframe surrounding said guard frame and engaging said arm or catchthereon, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoaffixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

- EARL SHERWOOD.

GEO. B. PARSONS.

Witnesses:

J. H. SIGGERS, REXFORD M. SMITH.

